Gopher Cycling Blog

Ann H took 8th place in the Women's Division I short track race at MTB nationals yesterday. She came in only 46 seconds behind the leader, Nina Baum, in what seems to have been a tightly contested race, with only 6 seconds separating ranks 5 through 8. Check out the article on Velonews.

I do not have more information at this time, but will post news as soon as they reach me, including longer race reports when our riders return.

The Ham Lake CX Race took place this past Saturday, and two Gophers were in the starting lineup for the B race: Matt K and Maria S, both riding their mountain bikes, which is quite the challenge in a cyclocross race, to come in 16th and 30th, respectively. Well done!

Check out the race results and some pictures in our gallery.

The tentative 2005 MCF (Minnesota Cycling Federation) calendar has been posted. It will hopefully be confirmed by December 15th. All events can also be found in our own calendar.

The U of M dominated the Kansas MTB race weekend to take the overall title as NCCCC MTB Champions this weekend, as well as claiming both individual Championship titles. Best woman goes to Maria Stewart, best man to Matt Kriegler. A more detailed report of the weekend will follow.

This result follows on the heals of an NCCCC road championship (the third in a row) as well as a best all-men's team placing at collegiate national track championships (with three medals, including a bronze medal in the men's omnium) earlier this year and firmly establishes the University of Minnesota Cycling Club as the premier collegiate cycling team in the North Central Collegiate Cycling Conference. Good job, Gophers!

KSU has published its race flyer. Get all the info you need here.

Saturday's race will be 30 min plus one lap for all categories. Sunday, racers will start every two minutes in the following order: Men's A (3 laps), Men's B (2 laps), Men's C (1 lap), Women's A (2 laps), and Women's B (1 lap).

With an eye towards the upcoming road season, I've been thinking about ways to improve cycling performance. Here is a list of things to do that will dramatically improve your racing speed. Some of these might not be necessary to do during indoor training, but are worthwhile to keep in mind as we move outside in the Spring. If you follow all the recommendations below, you will be so much faster that you could conceivably forego a significant portion of your training and still be faster. So here is my list, if you have any comments, please post them:

1. Shave your legs. You will notice instant speed gains. Just think how much easier it will be when all that long hair doesn't pull on you when you are trying to go hard. Also, you will look like a pro and intimidate the competition.
2. Get an aero seat post. Clearly this will give you a significant aerodynamic advantage. Ask the Devil for details.
3. Always ride as hard as you can. You want to get all you can out of training. If you get tired, that must mean you're not in shape. Go even harder.
   
4. Get a rearward facing mirror. This will allow you to always keep facing forward and therefore dramactically reduce the frictional losses incurred upon exposing the broad side of the helmet to the wind.
5. Buy the most expensive bike you can possibly afford. More expensive is always better. Titanium or carbon frames are key. Don't get caught having to admit that your wheelset was less than a thousand bucks.
   
6. Eat as much as you can possibly tolerate. Preferably carbohydrates and fats. Weight gains will make you stronger as you have to work harder just to get around. Also, you will be a much fast descender.
7. Use only titanium skewers. They are the most expensive (see 4.).
8. Never wash your cycling clothes. Natural body fats will make the fabric smoother and reduce drag. Also, the competition will notice the smell and recognize that you train very hard, which will intimidate them.
9. Always ride in the biggest gear you have. Pros ride up hills in big rings, so you should too. After all, this is bike racing, not a picknick.
   
10. Don't ever listen to other riders' suggestions. Eventually, they are going to be riding against you, and they know it. Thus, they're just trying to trick you and keep you down.
    

As cyclists we should all be aware of the laws governing our favorite means of transportation. Please take some time to peruse the Minnesota Bicycle Laws. You may find some surprises, who knows.

The U of M MTB team was in Mankato this past weekend. Here is what happened, according to Ben P:

"Saturday was the "Downhill" event. While the finish was in fact lower in
elevation than the start, the course was pretty flat and had no really
technical sections at all. It was so tame that Sunday's XC course actually
went UP the steepest and most technical sections, and was completely
ridable. Our theory is that MSU designed the course so that a) nobody could
possibly get hurt, and b) their XC whiz kids could still win. Anyway,
Sideburnz showed why he's sideburnz by taking 3rd overall on a fully rigid
XC bike (and I think he was 1st for our conference). Maria did well too,
and I think she ended up 2nd overall for women (1st for our conference).

Sunday's XC race was pretty intense, with several long climbs and some
tricky twisty downhill sections (way more tricky than the "downhill" race)
on a 4.5 mile loop. Miriam did the women's beginner race and she managed to
survive for a win. Chris took the men's B race by storm, and Andy C. got
3rd I think. It was Miriam and Andy's first mtb races, and they both did a
great job.

The men's and women's A races went out with the expert field, 4 laps. We
all knew it was going to be fast, since the MSU kids were out to repeat
their sprint victories from the day before. It was compounded by the fact
that a few real pros showed up (Jeff Hall from Salsa and some Trek guy). I
stuck with the leaders up much of the first climb until I realized that I
would die if I kept it up. I ended up popping anyway and barely held it
together. Managed to stay on my bike though, and dug deep on the last lap
to finish 2nd for collegiate (1st for D1 and 7th overall). Satoshi had an
even rougher day and had to withdraw when a 2-inch tear opened up in the
sidewall of his rear tire. Sideburnz went back and forth with Greg from ND
the whole race. He sprinted it out for 4th place in the end (2nd for D1).
Sam scored for us as well in 5th? for D1 I think. Screech conquered the
course on his rigid singlespeed, and Tim S. managed to finish despite a
number of really nasty spills along the way. For his first real XC race,
I'd say he toughed it out remarkably well.

For the women, Jenna from MSU won overall (she actually passed me up on the
last lap). Despite a pileup on one of the tricky downhills, Maria and Ann
took 1st and 2nd respectively for D1.

Overall, another successful race for the UofM. It was awesome to have our
team representing half the field. We have next weekend off, and then
Conference Championships on Oct 17-18th. That'll be our last chance to
score points for nats, and it's worth double. If you can make it, you could
really help the team, and it's sure to be a fun weekend."

As part of the transition into fall and winter, here is some advice that does not relate to cycling per se. However, as we transition to a less dense schedule of cycling, we have more time to spend with our loved ones, perhaps more than we are used to, and this may lead to interpersonal conflicts. I cannot tell you how to avoid them, but the following clip may offer some inspiration for how to leave bitter arguments behind.